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 it 



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" in the new continent before the arrival of the Spaniards, 

 " I do not mean at present to inquire : but in opposition to 

 " the conjecture referred to, it may be advanced that there 

 " is no circumstance in the structure of any of the states of 

 ** the Banana or Plantain, cultivated in India or the islands 

 " of equinoctial Asia, to prevent their being all considered 

 " as merely varieties of one and the same species, namely 

 MusA sapientum; that their reduction to a single species 

 is even confirmed by the multitude of varieties that exist; 

 by nearly the whole of these varieties being destitute of 

 ** seeds ; and by the existence of a plant indigenous to the 

 " continent of India (Musa sapientum. Roxh. coram. ^.275), 

 *' producing perfect seeds; from which, therefore, all of 

 ** them may be supposed to have sprung. 



To these objections to the hypothesis of the plurality 

 of species of the Banana, may be added the argument 

 " referred to* as contributing to establish its Asiatic origin; 

 " for we are already acquainted with at least five distinct 

 " species of Musa in equinoctial Asia, while no other spe- 

 ** cies has been found in America ; nor does it appear that 

 the varieties of the Banana, cultivated in that continent, 

 may not equally be reduced to Musa sapientum as those 

 " of India: and lastly, it is not even asserted that the types 

 " of any of those supposed species of American Banana, 

 " growing without cultivation, and producing perfect seeds, 

 " have any where been found. 



** That the Bananas now cultivated in equinoctial Africa 

 " came originally from India, appeal's to me equally pro- 

 " bable, though it may be allowed that the Ensete of Bruce 

 " (trav. 5. 36.) is perhaps a distinct species of this genus, 

 " and indigenous only to Africa." Brawn, hotanu ofOmgOy 

 51, 52. 



F 



We have added to the drawing of the inflorescence of 

 the natural size, another plate containing an outline of the 

 whole plant in flower. 



it 

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* '* Xamely, that in doubtful cases, where other ailments were equal* 

 ' ' it would appear more probable that the plant in question should belong to 

 " that country iu which all the other species of the same genus were foiftid de- 

 '* cidedlv indigenous, than to that where it was the only species of the same 

 " genus known to exist.** Brown. 



